CrossPointe Community Church

Month: June 2019

  • The War Within

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    Galatians 5:16-25

    As kids, we almost all inevitably faced the temptation at one point or another to slip our favorite candy bar into our pocket at a store without paying for it. So easy, and harmless, right?

    That’s what a 38-year-old New Jersey man seemed to be thinking when he robbed the exact same 7-Eleven store at knifepoint four different times in four days—just to satisfy his craving for candy. His escapade began on a Monday and came to an end on Thursday as he was caught red-handed with a dozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups stuffed down his pants and later pled guilty to first degree armed robbery. He said to the Judge, “I know I shouldn’t have done it, I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. I would do anything to get my hands on Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.” 1

    That story illustrates exactly what Paul is discussing with us in Galatians 5:16:25:

    So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

    There is a tug of war that goes on in our hearts; in yours and in mine; where on the one hand we desire to serve and follow Jesus and on the other, we desire to serve and follow self. I call it the war within; what do you think?

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  • The Sirens Call

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    Proverbs 7:1-23
    I Thessalonians 4:1-8

    In Homer’s Odyssey, the Sirens were gorgeous, but dangerous creatures, who lived on rocky islands in the Aegean Sea. From the waist down fish, from the waist up strikingly beautiful women, the Sirens sang spellbindingly beautiful songs that would lure passing sailors to their deaths. As they sang, sailors couldn’t resist the temptation and flung themselves over the sides of the ship to swim toward the enchanting voices, only to be dashed to death upon the jagged rocks that surrounded islands.

    A couple hundred years before Homer composed the Odyssey, a man named Solomon penned the Proverbs. In chapter 7, he blares out a warning to resist the temptation of the sirens:

    Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family. Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.

    While I was at the window of my house, looking through the curtain, I saw some naive young men, and one in particular who lacked common sense. He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman, strolling down the path by her house. It was at twilight, in the evening, as deep darkness fell. The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart. She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home. She is often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, “I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows. You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are! My bed is spread with beautiful blankets, with colored sheets of Egyptian linen. I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses, for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won’t return until later this month. “So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery. He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. (Proverbs 7:1-23).

    Now having heard Solomon’s warning, would like to venture a guess as to what commands he was referring to? “Thou shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
    And “Thou shall not covet. Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” (Exodus 20:17).

    Homer, Solomon; does the great Apostle Paul have anything he’d like to add?

    Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor; not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (I Thessalonians 4:1-8).

    Next month we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong saying, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Most people aren’t aware that as he was climbing back in the lunar lander, Neal quipped to himself, “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky.” Many at NASA thought it was a remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in the Russian space program. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong, but he would just smile. Until 1995, while answering questions in Tampa, he finally talked about it. In 1938 he was a kid playing baseball in his backyard in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He chased a ball which landed near an open window of the Gorsky’s. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, 8-year-old Armstrong heard his neighbor, Mrs. Gorsky, shouting at Mr. Gorsky: “Sex? You’ll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!” 1

    The almost 3,000-year-old image of the seductive sirens luring their victims to their deaths upon the rocks is as illustrative today as it was in Homer’s time.

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  • It Is Written

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    Matthew 4:1-11
    Ephesians 6:10-18

    Temptation is the biggest stumbling block to living a holy life, for if we could learn to tame temptation we could eliminate sin in our lives.

    A couple of weeks ago, we visited Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and saw that He was able to resist temptation through ‘prayer.’ Today, we join Him in the desert where we will learn about another tool that will help us win the battle over temptation.

    Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
    But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
    Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
    Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
    “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. (Matthew 4:1-11).

    A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

    What is the tool Jesus used to resist the wiles of the devil? And the answer is, the Word of God.

    But before we hone in on that aspect of this pericope, I want to note something that surface in this passage concerning temptation. I mentioned last week that the Bible indicates that temptation comes our way through the influence of the world, the flesh and the devil and all three influences make an appearance here in the dessert.

    And it shouldn’t really surprise us that Jesus faced the same temptations we face; for last week in Hebrews we read,

    This High Priest of ours (Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations we do, yet He did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

    One of those temptations was a temptation of the ‘world.’

    Verse 8 it says, “Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

    The word ‘world’ here does not mean ‘that which God created,’ which is good. Rather, ‘world,’ when used in this sense in the Scriptures, refers to the opinions, powers, priorities, and values that are hostile, rebellious, and opposed to God. For sure the world does tempt us; it even mesmerizes us with its beauties, comforts and trinkets.

    The most well-known Biblical examples of worldly temptations surround money and possessions; things that we immensely enjoy getting our hands on.

    In early 2001, some towns in India were stricken by a plague of monkeys. The monkeys were so numerous they would invade homes, bite people, and make off with food supplies. It was agreed the monkeys would have to be caught and relocated. The people in these towns resorted to a traditional method for catching them. They gathered jars with an opening that would allow the monkey’s hand to pass. Then they would place something sweet, perhaps a banana or other fruit in the jar. The monkeys could not resist the temptation and would reach right in and grab the forbidden fruit. But the opening in the bottle would not allow the monkey’s hand to be withdrawn wrapped around the fruit. The monkey will pull and push in an effort to get that treat out of the jar, but he will not let it go, not even as his captors approach. And so the monkeys were caught, literally with their hands in the cookie jar! 1

    He kind of looks like us, doesn’t he? Ha!

    Paul in his first letter to Timothy warns of the worldly temptation of money:

    But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows’ (6:9–10).

    Then there was the temptation arising from the ‘flesh.’

    Here in Matthew 4, the temptation from the flesh has to do with Jesus being hungry, which in this case is not wrong. After 40 days without food, Jesus has a right to be hungry. But He didn’t feel it would be right to satisfy His hunger by performing a miracle.

    When the Bible speaks of temptations of the flesh, it is referring to our many sinful drives. The so-called seven deadly sins are sins of the flesh: Pride, Greed, Lust, Anger, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth.

    These serve as deep sources of temptation and explain why evil tempts us, why it is hard to resist, and why we are often sitting ducks who are easily overwhelmed.

    Rich Mullins, a Christian musician and songwriter who died in 1997 at the age of 41, once confessed in a concert that he struggled with watching pornography. Once he woke up in the middle of the night and his flesh started tempting him. He called out to Jesus to help him and picked up a notebook and wrote the words to one of his more popular songs, Hold Me, Jesus:

    And I wake up in the night and feel the dark.
    It’s so hot inside my soul,
    I swear there must be blisters on my heart.
    So hold me Jesus, ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf.
    You have been King of my glory
    Won’t You be my Prince of Peace’ 2

    Of these drives Scripture says,

    As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts’ (Ephesians 2:1-3).

    Then, as evidenced by this entire dessert encounter, there are temptation that arise through the influence of the devil

    Does all temptation come from the devil? Some would say yes. I once had a book in my library that held that there are demons sitting on our shoulders all the time whispering in our ears tempting us to sin.

    I have always said, we can get in enough trouble on our own, through our flesh, without the help of the evil one.

    And yet the New Testament does indicate that the devil has some influence over humanity. Today’s reading from the letter to the Ephesians bars witness to that:

    Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (6:11-12).

    And there is a verse in I Corinthians that indicates that Satan can tempt:

    Do not deprive each other (of conjugal rites) except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control’ (1 Corinthians 7:5).

    On the other hand, John’s first letter to the church states:

    We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but the one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them (1 John 5:18).

    Whether or not, or how much the devil is involved in tempting us the scripture also says,

    Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

    That’s exactly what Jesus did! He resisted the devil and the devil fled from Him. And how did Jesus resist the devil?

    “It is written, it is written, it is written.”

    It’s interesting to note that the first three words of the ministry of Jesus were, “It is written.”

    “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,’” quoted from Deuteronomy 8:2-3.

    “It is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test,’” taken from Deuteronomy 6:13.

    “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only’” from Deuteronomy 10:20.

    Three times Jesus routed the devil’s temptations by drawing and brandishing the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

    We say, easy for Him; He’s the Son of God; He’s got the word of God on the tip of His tongue, I could never do that. And I say, that Jesus took to heart Psalm 119, where David wrote:

    Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee’ (11).

    We too can resist the devil’s temptations by unsheathing the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

    When we are tempted to hold a grudge against someone we can resist by recalling: IT IS WRITTEN in Ephesians 4:32:

    Forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.

    When we are tempted to question what God is doing or not doing in our lives we can resist by recalling: IT IS WRITTEN in Proverbs 3:5-6:

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

    When we are tempted to lash out at someone in anger we can resist by recalling: IT IS WRITTEN in Proverbs 15:18:

    A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

    When we are tempted to talk about someone in a malicious way behind their back, we can resist by recalling: IT IS WRITTEN in Psalm 141:

    Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

    When we are tempted to lust after the opposite sex we can resist by recalling IT IS WRITTEN in Matthew 5:28:

    If you even look at a person of the opposite sex with lust in your eye you have committed adultery with that person in your heart.

    D. L. Moody said, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.” 3

    Pastor David Shelley shares a personal story that illustrates well the fact that though we were created to hear the words of God and to respond to them, we often are preoccupied. He writes: My amazingly faithful wife, Lorie, married an introvert. She did not know all that she was getting into, but she experienced something strange early on in our marriage.
    Often she would ask a question, and she would not get an immediate response. The question might be simple. I am sitting at the table and reading. She has set food before me. She opens the refrigerator door and asks, “What would you like to drink?” She expects an immediate, one-word answer, such as “tea.” What she gets is silence and a puzzled expression. What she did not know at first was that, as an introvert, I do not automatically move her question to the front of the line. I am preoccupied with another important to me train of thought, and her question has not even registered, to say nothing of checking in and phoning home. As an introvert, an inner conversation is already going on inside of me, and the giver of sustenance is put on hold. She may give me a drink of her own choice, or she may give me nothing, because I am not responsive to her words.

    Like my wife, God speaks, but we are too preoccupied with ourselves to respond. Are we aware that the One giving us sustenance at this very moment has spoken to us in His very word? He speaks that we might be sustained and refreshed in our knowledge of him. He speaks that we might be enabled to live a righteous life. The most pitiful thing we can do is refuse to enter the conversation. 4

    How many of us are preoccupied?

    Would you believe that the latest research indicates the average American adult spends about 11 hours a day staring at some kind of screen? If those hours were spent reading instead, you could be reading over 1,000 books a year!

    Is it the world, the flesh or the devil that is not only tempting us but succeeding in distracting us from reading the word of God?

    How are you being tempted by the world, the flesh or the devil?

    What are some of the things that are your greatest temptation? Do they come from the world, the flesh or the devil?

    Write them down (or maybe not) and then look up a verse of scripture that addresses that temptation and commit it to memory. Then when you are tempted, unsheathe the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and use it to resist!

    The Lord Jesus defeated Satan because He had memorized the Word of God, and He knew how to use it. If the Son of God used the Word of God to effectively end the temptations, how much more do we need to use it to resist our own temptations? We must arm ourselves with the Word of God!

    IT IS WRITTEN! There is power in the word of God! There is power in the word of God that will enable us to resist temptation!

    Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee. (Psalm 119:11)

    Later in that 119th Psalm, David writes,

    Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (105)

    All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction,
    and training in righteousness’ (I Timothy 3:16). ‘Training in righteousness’ is what we are talking about. We are talking about resisting temptation because when we resist temptation, we do not sin, and when we do not sin, we are living in the will of God, in righteousness!

    Man cannot live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, hallelu, hallelujah!’ 5

    This is the air I breathe, this is the air I breathe; Your very word spoken to me. And I, I’m desperate for You. And I, I’m lost without you. 6

    1 https://storiesforpreaching.com/hunting-monkeys/

    2 Luke Gilkerson, “‘Hold Me Jesus’: A Prayer for Porn Addiction,” Covenant Eyes,
    June 17, 2010.

    3 https://www.pinterest.com/clkdavis/d-l-moody-quotes/

    4 https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2010/february/2022210.html

    5 From the song Seek Ye First by Karen Lafferty. Used by permission of CCLI .

    6 From the song Breathe by Michael W. Smith. Used by permission of CCLI.

  • Hold Fast and Draw Near

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    Hebrews 4:14-16

    Last week, I was straight up with you about how enticing temptation can be, about how once we give into it how intoxicating sin can be; about how destructive patterns of sin always lead to negative consequences. And although we ended by focusing on getting help from Jesus, I just had a feeling as you walked out that some, perhaps many of you, were feeling discouraged, perhaps doubting your faith, and wondering if you are really a Christian at all. In that case, you have something in common with the people to whom the letter titled Hebrews was written.

    And so, I decided to turn to Hebrews chapter 4 to form the basis of a message of God’s mercy and grace, so that we can draw near to the Communion table in confidence we are accepted and thereby offer God the worship He deserves.

    So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations we do, yet He did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16).

    Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted.

    They were not just being tempted to sin in the ways that are familiar with us; breaking one of the 10 commandments, refusing to forgive another, outbursts of jealousy or anger, envy or lust; though they may have been guilty of any or all of these. No, the sin they were being tempted to commit was far more dangerous to their souls than any of those. Because they were being tempted to give up on faith in Christ altogether. They were no longer sure they wanted to sing.

    ‘Why would they do that,’ you ask? And the answer is they were experiencing some sort of persecution for their faith.

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